Driver Gets 18 Years to Life in Prison for Double Fatality

A Van Nuys man was sentenced Wednesday to 18 years to life in prison on a second-degree murder conviction resulting from a 1992 drunk-driving accident that killed two young people as they returned home from a miniature golf course.

Lionel McGinnis, 39, apologized in court to the families of his victims before Superior Court Judge Michael J. Farrell imposed the maximum sentence.

McGinnis, who had two prior drunk-driving convictions and was attending a court-ordered alcohol awareness school at the time of the crash, had admitted to police that he knew he was too drunk to drive. He testified during the trial that he had blacked out.

Most drunk drivers involved in fatal accidents face vehicular manslaughter charges. But prosecutor Phillip H. Rabichow convinced the jury to convict McGinnis on the murder charge--a rarity in drunk-driving deaths--on the argument that he made a conscious decision to drink and drive, even though he knew from his court-ordered alcohol safety school sessions that such conduct was dangerous.

McGinnis’ blood alcohol level was .025%--more than three times the legal driving limit--when his Ford Ranger ran a red light at Woodman Avenue and Valerio Street shortly after midnight on July 27, 1992. The Ranger plowed into a Hyundai Excel at 52 m.p.h., instantly killing two back-seat passengers, Maria Henriquez Delcarmen, 16, and Eynar Contreras, 25. The driver and another passenger were injured.

According to testimony, the pair who died were returning from an evening of playing video games at a miniature golf course. McGinnis had been drinking at one bar and was on his way to another.